Air-intake for cars.



H. W. LEEDS.

AIR INTAKE FOB CARS. APPLIGATION FILED mums, 1909.

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w M q I Q a pllllllllllllullll. lllllllllllll HOSMER W. LEEDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR-INTAKE FOR CARS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 23, 1909.

Patented Feb. 1, 191i). Serial No. 503,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hosmnn \V. LEEDS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Intakes for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in air intakes for cars and refers more particularly to an improved construction adapted for use with refrigerator and fruit cars,

although not confined thereto.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a construction in which the currents of air induced through the intake by the motion of the car will be substantially freed from smoke, dust, cinders, rain, etc, before entering the car; toproviole a construction in which the port of the intake is controlled by a suitable plug damper which may be positively locked in either open or closed position; to provide a construction in which the water and detritus drawn into the intake will not accumulate in the latter, but will freely pass out through suitable discharge openings in the rear of the hood; to provide a construction which is readily reversible in order to be effective in whatever direction the car is going; to provide a construction which can be placed at the usual hatch opening on the roof of the car, or at the ends or sides thereof; and in general to provide a simple and economical construction of the character referred to.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings--Figure 1 is a top plan view of a refrigerator car equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on lines 2-2 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on lines 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 1 is a detail view showing the manner of locking the damper in closed or open position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the roof of the car, upon either side of the running board of which is mounted a ventilator designated as a whole 3. These ventilators are or may be similar in construction to an improved ventilator heretofore invented and patented by Thomas H. Garland,

Patents No. 800,438 and No. 12,729. Inasmuch, however, as these ventilators form no part of the present invention, they need not be described in detail.

At either end of the car upon opposite sides of the running board is formed the usual hatch opening a which is closed by an insulated hatch plug 5. The sides of the plug are beveled as shown at 6 in order to fit more closely within the hatch opening and at its upper edge the plug is provided with a flange or shoulder 7 which seats upon the rim of the hatch opening. In order that air may enter the car through the hatch openings, each plug is provided with a vertically extending air trunk 8. As a feature of the present. invention means are provided for entraining air through these trunks, and at the same time preventing the cinders, dirt, rain, etc, from entering the car and thus injuring the contents of the latter. To this end on the top of each plug is mounted the hood or housing 9 of generally box-shaped construction open at its inlet end as shown at 10 and secured to the plug by means of a confining flange 11 and bolts 12. If de sired, however, the hood may be made integral with the plug.

At its bottom wall 9 each hood is provided with a port 13 which communicates with the upper end of the trunk 8. This port is controlled by a damper 14: having an insulated seat 14 which is beveled at its sides in order to fit more closely within the upper end of the trunk. The damper is secured to a rock shaft or pintle 15 j ournaled in suitable end bearings 16 upon the flange 11 and intermediate bearings 16 upon the floor of the hood. One end of this rock shaft extends through its bearings and is provided with an operating handle 17. In order to lock the damper in either its open or closed position, the handle 17 is provided with a spring 18 which fits within an arc-shaped channel 19 upon the side wall of the hood. This channel is provided with looking notches or recesses 20 which receive the spring when the damper is swung to either open or closed position.

As a further feature of the present inveir tion, the hood is provided with a pair of air entraining ducts 21, the inner side walls 22 of which extend from the rear ends of the port 13 to the inlet opening 10. At their forward ends, these side walls converge as shown at 22", thus forming enlargedthroats tion with a box-like hood open at its front 23 and constricted delivery PHSSflgESQd. The arrangement of the inner side walls is such as to more effectively induce the air through the ducts. The ducts are separated at their rear. ends by means of a battle plate 25 which extends from the rear of the hood to the adjacent edge of the-port 13. When the damper is open the currents of air rushing through the ducts are compelled by means of this baflie plate and the open damper to pass through the port into the interior of the car. In order to prevent the water and detritus drawn into the hood, from entering the car, the rear edge of the port is provided with an upstanding flange 26. and the rear wall of the hood is cut away to form discharge openings 27. T o the same end the rear portion of the floor of the hood is inclined rearwardly asshown at 28. The ar rangement is such that the water and detritus will not only be prevented from passing through the ports, but will not accumulate in the hood. It will be noted that in Fig. 1 the intakes'are bot-h arranged in the same direction, 2'. 6., in the direction in which the car is going as indicated by the arrow. hen the car is going in the opposite direction, however, the plugs are reversed in an obvious manner. If, however, the air intakes are used upon a car not provided with ventilators, the intake or intakes placed upon the frontend of the car may be arranged as shown in the drawing, while upon the rear end of the car the intake or intakes may be arranged so that the openings. in the hood sh all point to therear, whereby the .air taken in through the forward intakes shall pass into and through the carand be discharged through the rear intakes which will then actias eductors.

The invention. is not limited to thedetails of construction. shown except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an air" intake for cars, the combinaend and having an outlet port, of inner wall members extending along the sides of sald port and forming air entraining, ducts, said inner wall members terminating short of the rear wall of the hood.

2. In an air intake for cars, the combination with a hood open at its front end and having an outlet port, of inner wall members within said hood and embracing the sides of said port to form air entraining ducts, said inner wall members terminating short of the wall of the hood, and a damper controlling the port and serving as a battle member to direct the air through said port when in open position.

3. In an air intake for cars, the combination with a head open at its front end and forming an outlet port, inner wall members within said hood, air entraining ducts within said hood, embracing the sides of said port, and a bafile vmember extending from the rear wall of the hood to the adjacent edge of the port.

4. In an air intake for cars, the combination with abox-shaped hood open at its front end and having an outlet port, of converging wall members extending along the sides of said port and forming air entraining ducts, a damper controlling the port and a baflie member extending from the rear wall of the hood to the adjacent edge of the port.

In an air intake for cars, the combination with ahood open at its front end and having an outlet port, of air ducts emb ac- .ing the sides of said port and terminating short of the rear wall of the latter, means for directing the air through said port and means for preventing detritus from accumulating in said hood or passing through said port.

HOSMER \V. LEEDS.

Witnesses D. J. NoRMoYLE, PLINEY B. SMITH. 

